In the words of Abraham Lincoln, "It is true that you may fool all of the people some of the time; you can even fool some of the people all the time; but can't fool all the people all the time."

"This country has long respected all of our residents and this is an extension of that respect". L.A. times, 5/15/02.

Translation: This council doesn't care if multiple federal and state laws are broken to sustain this massive unlawful migration, or what the consequence are of 3.5 million illegal aliens in California, so long as it can continue to grovel and bark for political favors from those associated with and supportive of illegal immigration. Your actions supporting these I.D.s are a not-too-subtle message to existing and future illegals to screw existing immigration laws and come to Los Angeles and flourish under the laughable Matricula Consular program instituted by a conniving Mexican government.

The Los Angeles City Council apparently supports the United States' continued disregard for the consequences of granting amnesty, (de-facto or otherwise) to 8.7 million illegal aliens. Amnesty will generate millions more illegal immigrants, just like in 1986 when 2.7 million illegals, out of a total of 3.5 million nationally were amnestied. Because we didn't enforce our immigration laws in 1986, there are now 8.7 million illegals in the USA. Three and one-half million illegals are now costing California taxpayers almost $6 billion annually. Twenty-eight percent of all workers in Los Angeles County are paid in cash as part of an underground economy that's costing various governmental agencies and estimated $1.1 billion annually in safety-net funding.

Amnesty for illegal aliens (de-facto or otherwise) means even longer waiting times for the 3 million legal immigration candidates currently in line for Green Cards, people who've played by the rules and who'll be shoved backwards in the capped immigration queue by millions of lawbreakers and their groveling supporters. Amnesty could also mean 27 million additional inhabitants in the USA because the new legal residents would then have the right to bring their families into the country.

Heightened job pressures on the 10 million low-skilled Americans who directly compete with illegal aliens for the same kinds of jobs. It's not true American won't pick crops & wash dishes, they simply won't live two & three families in a single garage and suffer similar wage-depression indignities to compete with third-world cultures. Amnesty will make life even more miserable for these unfortunate Americans.

In short, Amnesty (de-facto or otherwise) is hemlock for our country, and the thirteen of you who voted for Matricula Consulars have covered yourselves in shame, - and should drink a symbolic cup of this poison. How all this will eventually play out is unknown. What does seem certain however, is that if a sequel is ever written to President Kennedy's "Profiles in Courage", none of the shameful 13 will be mentioned.